The autumnal equinox is Thursday and in the garden, summer's last hurrah soon will collide with the carnival of autumn's warm colors. Fruit stands are heavy with produce and I've been busy preserving fruit. I'm nearly finished dehydrating and freezing peaches but there are cases of apples to work through. Fruit flies are everywhere! While there are things blooming in the garden, what struck me most on Sunday when I went out to gather things for a vase was foliage which will all too soon be compost.
Here's what I came up with in a hurry. Nearly spent coleus flowers, leaves from Heuchera 'Forever Purple,' Houttuynia cordata 'Chameleon,' a bit of bamboo, Parahebe perfoliata and some unseen fig leaves at the sides of the vase. It seemed appropriate to include the now dried leaves picked up in the park last week, and add some apples and a pesky fly.
It's a bit busy, even for me but it'll be fun outside since last week's vases are still going strong. Since summer is weary, let's enjoy autumn, that wild child, as long as we can!
In A Vase on Monday is hosted by Cathy at Rambling in the Garden. Click
here to check out what gardeners around the world are putting in a vase today.
That's a perfect sampling of the garden right now: a jumble of colliding seasons (in a good way). Do you really like coleus blooms? Blech.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful wrather here but I have a cold and no energy. Your vase is cheering me up.
ReplyDeleteAfter battling ants most of the summer thank god we aren't experiencing a fruit fly invasion (yet?). If we had any that size I think I'd be checking myself into a mental hospital.
ReplyDeleteThe fruit flies are tiny but numerous. That's what happens when one brings in cases of fruit. Oh well.
DeleteWhat a riot of color in your vase today, even with so few flowers. It's lovely.
ReplyDeleteOh I can see that Wild Child has been playing in your garden, Peter! Definitely more than just a hint of the change in season in your vase today - and I love that heuchera leaf!
ReplyDelete'Forever Purple' is my new favorite heuchera. The color is so dark and so purple!
DeleteA nice ode to autumn, Peter. Brave you, growing Houttuynia cordata! I've been trying to eradicate mine for years and the beast has reverted to dull green to make matters worse. I rue the day I planted it. How long have you had yours?
ReplyDeleteI had Houttuynia cordata in the ground for a few years but it got crowded out. Last year I got a small one in a four inch pot on sale and put it in a larger pot where it looks lovely but won't be able to spread.
DeleteHaha! I love the giant fly! It really makes the arrangement.
ReplyDeleteThe fly came from Valley Nursery in Poulsbo. They get some fun and funky things there!
DeleteThe coleus and the Houttuynia make great companions. I grew the latter along a driveway strip at our old house, where it was fortunately watered by the neighbor's sprinklers - it is a thirsty creature, which is why it has no place in my current garden. Love the fly!
ReplyDeleteIt was one of those times where I mindlessly picked a little of this and a little of that while talking on the phone and decided it would all go into the vase if it worked or not.
DeleteHi, I haven’t been here for a while (too many blogs to visit, too little time!) – thought I would pay you a visit again. Loved your vase, it is the epitome of the time right now, you got that so right :-)
ReplyDeleteI haven’t got any fruit flies in my garden, but I got loads of the really big, fat ones so I try to get the rest of the fallen apples up – just a few left between bushes here and there and that’s the harvest done for this year. Only the tomatoes left, but they usually go on for a good few more weeks.
Hope you have great gardening weather right now!
It's good to hear from you again Helene! I think of your beautiful London garden often but, like you, have less time to visit!
DeleteI love this arrangement; a gradation that reflects the changing seasons so perfectly and, as always, a fun prop. No sense in asking where you go that fun fly; you own a plethora of fun and mysterious objects.
ReplyDelete"...dehydrating and freezing..." is this a new hobby? Do share.
I like it!
ReplyDeleteThe harvest moon has done its work on your brain.
ReplyDelete